HR Community

HR doing non-HR work

It is becoming apparent that many HR professionals are doing work that cannot be called HR-related duties for some time now - a situation that may have become more so since the pandemic.

And HR people may have been doing this kind of non-HR work either on an ad-hoc or permanent basis.

Non-HR work is those duties that are performed outside the HR department and do not come under the HR functions.

This has complicated the role of the HR person in the organisation and it may not be commensurate with the compensation that they receive.

HR Poll: Do you perform non-HR work?

Yes, on an ad hoc basis: 41.94%

Yes, on a permanent basis: 56.45%

No: 1.61%

HR Poll: Is your HR role becoming more complicated?

Yes: 87.50%

No:4.17%

Maybe: 6.25%

Not sure: 2.08%

REPLIES & COMMENTS

I think doing purely HR work is more exciting and enriching. Yes, doing non-HR work can be a learning experience, but it does not allow me to focus on what I want to do for the staff. - Sharon

It depends on individual companies. Usually SMEs, because of budget constraints, might need HR professionals to do the non-HR work. I personally feel that I gain additional experience and it boost my CV. - Elsie

It should not be on a permanent basis. Ad hoc is still okay. - Vivian

Company security, managing hygiene, and cleanliness in the workplace are some of the non-HR duties that HR might carry out in the workplace. - Joanna

I am fine as long as it does not add to my current workload. - CC

If it is to enable the business, I think it is acceptable. However, if the workload increases by a lot, probably a non-HR person should be assigned to handle these kinds of cases. - ASH

In a small company, HR has to multitask and not be able to focus on strategic HR initiatives. - Evelyn

Non-HR work is considered "multi-tasking" which management prefers HR personnel handle. This, however, confuses staff and think HR is undertaking all kinds of general administrative and operational matters and they approach the wrong persons when it comes to HR matters. - Jenny

At times, doing non-HR work may be unavoidable as there are no other suitable persons to do it due to the shortage of manpower. - YBW

As HR is a business partner with the organisation, we probably need to do some non HR work in order to contribute more. - Wendy

In my view, management may not be clear about the role that HR plays in the organisation. - Fyn

I find ad hoc tasks distract me from my priorities, especially when they always seem to be urgent and on the go. - Cameron

It depends on the size of the organisation. In a small company, everyone, not just HR, has to do all the work and cover others who may be absent. - Yang

During difficult times, everyone has to provide support. And the employer should appreciate and reward our efforts. -VS

You cannot avoid non-HR work if you are employed by an SME. - Michelle

If you are working for an SME, most of the time there is not much choice. - Adeline

Not exactly more complicated, but the HR role has become more complex, as is to be expected in this VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) era. Doing work outside mainstream HR can be a great eye-opening experience for HR people, especially those who are sheltered from daily business challenges. Over the course of my HR career, non-HR experiences paid dividends in the form of personal and professional growth way above compensation. - CS

Someone has to do the work. - Joseph

It is all part of admin duties anyway - Audrey

Most of the time the employer and people in the organisation like to group HR with administration. So those administrative and office matters will come to us. - CKL